PM&C UPDATE

Welcome to the October edition of the RSAS newsletter.

Working with families is a big part of the work RSAS teams do. Talking to families every day is important, whether it’s through making time to pass on a compliment about their child’s activities/progress at school or to just ‘check in’, it all works towards strengthening relationships and getting the school attendance message out there. Sometimes teams may work with families with complex needs, or situations; this month’s podcast series ‘Working with parents and families with complex challenges’ have been designed to give greater understanding and provide different approaches to support families who may need additional support. Podcasts are available here.

Make sure you also tune in to this month’s webinar presented by Jenny Allen from Ngala which is about getting to the bottom of what good practice is, and how you can incorporate evidence based practice in your workplace. This webinar will also provide some excellent easy to use tools and ideas to support improved practice- a must watch!

NESA UPDATE

Wow! What an incredible month October has been. So many amazing workshops held where participants were engaged, encouraged, supported, and mentored through their training journey.

We are now coming to the delivery of the final face-to-face workshops for 2018 (see what’s coming up below). Congratulations to everyone who has had the opportunity to attend one of our workshops this month and we look forward to receiving your feedback. Don’t forget to check out our Facebook page where we are
showcasing RSAS workshops in real time!

The first two podcasts are live and available for RSAS teams to watch via the NESA-RSAS website or our Facebook page. Two new podcasts covering “Working with Parents and Families with Complex Situations” and “Conflict Resolution” will be published later in October.

Accredited training update.

NESA, in conjunction with PM&C, is in the process of developing two NEW accredited training units. These units will contribute towards staff attaining a nationally recognised certification and will be open to all RSAS staff who are keen to gain a formal qualification in Leadership (Cert IV) or Community Services (Cert III).

Over 40% of RSAS staff who participated in the first accredited training from May 2018 have successfully completed their units. NESA will support participants with mentoring and webinars to ensure that all staff understand the training material and how to complete the final assessment. NESA’s
goal and commitment is to support all RSAS staff through the accreditation training. Enrolment details will be announced shortly.

The two new Accredited Units are:

BSBMGT401 – Show leadership in the workplace:This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to lead teams and individuals by modelling high standards of conduct to reflect the organisation's standards and values. It applies to individuals who are making the transition from being a team member to taking
responsibility for the work and performance of others and providing the first level of leadership within the organisation. These managers have a strong influence on the work culture, values and ethics of the teams they supervise.

CHCCOM005 - Communicate and work in health or community services:This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to communicate effectively with clients, colleagues, management and other industry providers. This unit applies to a range of health and community service contexts where workers may communicate face-to-face, in writing or using digital media and work with limited responsibility under direct or indirect
supervision.

RSAS staff who are still in the process of completing one of the following units still have plenty of time to finish their training.

· FSKOCM07 - Interact effectively with others at work

· CHCPRT001 - Identify and
respond to children and young people at risk

· BSBLDR402 - Lead effective workplace relationships

To help students progress and complete their chosen unit, we now offer access to the units via a smart device. Click here to see the steps to access the online learning platform via an Apple device or an Android device. A Facebook Messenger group has also been set up to support students throughout their online training journey with any questions they may have. Through this group, students can connect with other students as well as the trainer and assessor. The steps to friend the NESA RSAS Facebook group are also noted below. The link is: https://www.facebook.com/rsas.nesa.3

Please contact the NESA RSAS Project team at rsas@nesa.com.au if you have any questions.

GOOD PRACTICE, BEST PRACTICE, EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE: WHAT ON EARTH DOES THIS ALL MEAN?

This webinar will provide an overview of what is meant by the terms ‘good practice’, ‘best practice’ and ‘evidence-based practice’. These terms are often used but rarely clearly defined or understood. RSAS providers can be presented with a wide range of information and resources purported to help them be
the best they can be. In reality, how easy is it to decide what approaches to take and then to implement them? There is no magic bullet. We should be asking: should we follow or should we innovate? How readily can we transfer what we have learnt into practice in our diverse and unique communities?

In this webinar we will look at some essential ingredients to help RSAS providers build confidence and strength within their teams so they can make sound decisions.

Participants will be introduced to evidenced-based resources: Ngala’s Growing Strong Brains kit and St John of God Social Outreach’s Connected Parenting resources. We will use these as examples of how what we learn and tools we are given can be used in practical and innovative ways that demonstrate “good practice” suited to local communities.

REGISTER NOW!Click the link below to register and sign up to our new SMS reminder service.

Did you miss our last webinar?
Click on the button below to watch it.

In your own words, what does this role mean to you?I truly love my job, I feel I’m in a role that doesn’t just help children but entire communities and to a greater extent our nation. You just can’t beat the feeling of being part of a community and assisting in the positive changes within it.

How will kids going to school impact local Indigenous communities?
Getting kids to school ensures that we are increasing the skill set of future generations, which ensures greater opportunities for communities of the future. When children go to school it also allows for more time for parents to look for employment, increase their skills or assist the communities they live in.

What has been a highlight for you in this role?Building genuine relationships within my community and learning about a new culture has been the greatest highlight thus far.

TRAIN THE TRAINER HITS THE MARK

"I highly recommend the Train the Trainer course to any RSAS team member who wants to progress their knowledge and skills."
Kim Gregory, Oak Valley and Yalata, Complete Personnel

Eighteen RSAS staff members from across the country recently came together to participate in a Train the Trainer workshop in Cairns (July) and Perth (Sept) to develop and fine tune their trainer skills.

RSAS staff were engaged, committed and eager to learn! For some, this was the first workshop where they presented to their peers and experienced first-hand what it is like to deliver training. Some participants are now eager to pursue more formal qualifications. Others may have had some trainer experience already, but everyone was there to learn skills and techniques to become a trainer.

The agenda over the three days covered the following topics:

Day 1: Training delivery, dealing with challenges and coaching and mentoring staff.

Day 2: Delivery of RSAS units and a practice presentation session.

Day 3: More practice sessions and delivery of the remaining RSAS units.

Throughout the workshop, RSAS staff were mentored and coached by NESA trainers as well as having the support and encouragement of other participants. By Day 3, they were given the opportunity to present and deliver a short training session to other participants. At the end of the three days participants identified the goals they planned to achieve once they returned to their communities.

RSAS staff feedback included:

“The workshop was motivational and inspiring”

“Facilitation was unbelievably connected and inclusive”

“Relaxed environment that was created by the trainers, the experience and
expertise [of the trainers]”

Good news story

Following the Train the Trainer workshop, one participant successfully delivered a NESA RSAS Training Unit at their local workshop under the guidance and mentoring of NESA trainers.

The Scotdesco Tailored Local Workshop held in September
saw Kim Gregory, who is the Remote School Attendance Strategy Project Co-ordinator for Yalata & Oak Valley, facilitate the training of Unit Two - Developing our Children and Young people. Kim presented a good analogy between what a car needs to run properly (fuel + water + tyres) and what kids need to be able to go to school properly (food + water + sleep). The staff resonated with the comparison and all said that they could easily apply this to the children in their community.

Kim says: “I was very proud (and was somewhat nervous) to deliver a full NESA RSAS module to the RSAS teams at our local Clustered Workshop. I could not and would not have done this without the benefit of
attending the Train the Trainer (TTT) sessions and the support of the Workshop trainers. I highly recommend the TTT course to any RSAS team member who wants to progress their knowledge and skills.”

While each person who attended this workshop was on their own personal journey, they were all there to support and encourage each other. Congratulations to all RSAS staff who attended and completed this workshop!